Metallic curtain



A. PARODI AND J. BOHELLO.

METALLIC CURTAIN. APPLICATION FILED JUNE 1, 1918.

Patented July 19, 1921."

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UNITED STATES PATENT oFFicE.v

Annnns rARonI AND Josn'nonnrno, or BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA.

METALLIC CURTAIN.

Application filed June 1,

Y 0 all whom it may concern Be it known that we, ANnnns PARODI and Josn BORELLO, both mechanics, subjects of the King of Italy, residingat Calle Maipii 671, Buenos Aires, Argentine Re ublic, have.

invented an Improvement in etallic Curtains, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, like characters on the drawings representing like parts.

This invention relates to metallic curtains and the object thereof is to provide a durable and reliable curtain that will be easy of operation both as to the opening and closing movements thereof regardless of the thickness or weight of its movable parts.

The invention will best be understood by reference to the following description when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings of one specific embodiment thereof, while the scope will be more particularly pointed out in the appending claims.

In the drawing Figure 1 represents a vertical section partly in elevation of a curtain device embodying our invention, the lowermost sections of said curtain being shown partly raised, and

Fig. 2 is a partial front elevation of the curtain.

In the drawings 1 indicates a panel located preferably at the top of the opening wherein is to be placed a curtain embodying this invention, and behind which said curtain, herein including a series of plates or sections 2, 3, 4L, and 5, is concealed in its raised position.

The sections 2, 3, 4 and 5 may be and herein are constructed of metal and arranged normally in overlapped relation, the ends thereof being respectively guided in suitably stepped grooves 2, 3, 4' and 5' formed in plates 6 secured to the sides of the aforesaid opening, the ends of said grooves serving as stops for the several curtain sections when the same are down or in. closed position.

The several sections of said' curtain are adapted to cooperate with each other during the raising andlowering. of the curtain and to facilitate such cooperation each section has at or near its lower edge a laterally projecting member 5 ,'which' serves asan abutment to engage the lower end of the Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 19,1921.

1918. Serial No. 237,779.

next upper section during said raising and lowering operation.

For the purpose of raising and lowering the said curtain sections we have provided means including suitable flexible members which are operatively connected with the lowermost section 5.

It is desirable that a safety device be provided for the curtain which will automatically operate upon the giving out of any of the parts of the curtain operating means to prevent the dropping of said sections and to lock the curtain in a certain position, and for this p'urposemeans are provided including a series of perforations 7 herein formed in the plate 6, said perforations constituting a rack which at times is engaged by a spring actuating latch 8 attached to the lowermost section 5 of saidcurtain. Operatively, connected with'said latch is apivoted lever 9 which is carried by section 5, while to said lever is attached one'of the' flexible curtain operating members -herein} consisting of ropes 10. lVhen tension is applied to said rope the lever 9 will be slightly elevated and through the said operative, connections will withdraw the latch 8 in opposition toits actuating spring from engagement with said rack thus allowing the curtain to be moved freely. But when tension upon said rope is released as by'breakage or otherwise the spring actuating latch will be permitted to engage said latch and thus prevent further movement of the lower section of said ourtain and all other sections supported thereby For operating the. sections of said ourtain we have provided in addition to the ropes .10 drums 11, one being placed, at each side of the curtain but as these drums are substantially duplicates, only one is shown. One of said ropes 10 preferably that shown, in addition'to passing several times around its drum extends down from the opposite sideof said drum andis attached to an elevator or counterbalance :12arranged to. operate in an opposite direction to that of said sections, said elevator being guided" by a suitable frame 13,, H

The drums 11 are mounted upon a shaft 14, having operative: connection through beveled gearing 15 with, a shafti 16. The shaft lfi isprovided, with a wormgear 1? adapted to be driven by a worm 17 which in turn is secured to an operating shaft 18" arranged with its ends projecting beyond the inner and outer faces of the wall of the building.

ered by the 1 i'ns'trumentalities described and consequently the load willgradually' bein creased 'as successive sections are engaged by the abutment- 5 of the preceding sections so y e time the raising m t reaches the upper section 2-there will be considerable weight supported the oper -atingdevices. i

Tofovercome these variations in weight thereby to facilitate 'the operation of" the device both duringthe raising and lowering operations of said curtain, we have provided automatic counterba'lancing means which successively increase or; decrease-the weight jof-zthe counterbalance '12 .in direct" proportion to th'e variations inweight due tot-he oickin u or 'dro in of said curtainsec l 2-: PP 2::

tions. For this purpose the elevator '12 is provided with an upper gui'de 20 and asap- 7 "port 21 uponwhic'h 'counterweights 22, 23,

24 and 25 substantially corresponding in *number' and weight with the sectio n'sj 2; 3, 4 and 5 respectively, arelsuppo'rted at certain timesin the operation of thedevice.

The said weights are normally supported; iupon a standard '26 by suitably recessed brackets 27,28, 29 and 30 within the recesses (thereof 'the'lower ends-of said weights are retained bypivoted fingers'ial, 32 33'and3 1'.

The upper ends "ofsaijd' weights are positioned by strikers 39 pivotally attachedto arms-'35, 36',*37"and 38 which in turn are pivotally mounted upon the standard"26,the

strikers 39 being arranged to enter suitably formed recesses forme'd 'in-the upper portions "of said weights topreventthe 'said weightsfrom.ti-pping. V I a "The support '21" carries 'a roller 40' which roller is adapted to =engageflthe underor upper sides ofth'e fingers 31, -32, 33 and 34 during the upward or downward movement of said 'el'evatorthereby causing the weights positioned by said fingers to "be removed from orto be placed upon said *eleva'tor or counterbalance;

' Theoperationofthe curtain hereinbefore l speeifica11y described is as follows: I

' Assumin the curtainim be tota1ly1owered being raised is" counterbalancedV; b

and the weights 22 and 23 to be resting upon their supp0rts 2T and ;28 as are the weights 24 and 25, 1notionis impartedto the shaft 18 by the crank handle 19 which in turn imr parts movementoto theshaft 15 and through the gearing 18 and shaft 14: revolve the -drums 11 in a clockwise direction as viewed .iirFig. 1. This movement of the drum 11 appliestension to the rope 1O whereupon the end ofthe lever 9 to which said rope is aattachedwill"be-lifted and the'latch 8 withdrawn from engagement with the rack 7 permitting the lower section 5' of the curtain to moveupwardly. As this section "commences to rise theroller 19 upon the elevator "12 will abut against avprojection 31 011 the und'ersji'deofthe finger 31 andfcause said fingerto 'b'e roeked about its pivot and move into an outwardly. 'and downwardly inclined position. :As said finger moves outwardly a second proj eetion 32 fo'rmed upon the upper side thereof; engages the lower end fof the weight 22 supported thereabove and'causes the lower end of theweightl'22lto slide down the inclined upper surface'of said "finger 31 and against the support'21 of said elevator. During this operationthexarm 35 by -me'ans of'the" striker "39f retains engagement with the upper'endof saidweight and prevents the same J from tipping until said striker 39 I withdrawn from :its: recess by Upon the; release of said weight l 22 by said striker theupper en'dthereofwill assume a 'pos'ition against theiunright orbaek piece of'sa'ijd elevator 12 and theguide The weight '22 is transfer-red 'toithe support 21 J-of said elevator substantially simultaneously with the upward movement of the section Sand attheninstant when the abutment upon the section 5 engages and begins .the downward"movement of said elevator. a

to lift the [secti'on eh the weight 23 will like y 'dcli-vereddn the above manner to the sup-portal of-theelevator throu rh the operation Of 'i'llUfiDQBl 32 and arm 36 which are somewhat shorter thanthe correspondii'i'g members of th'e 'above weight supporting and transferring means in order that these-member's may act only uponthei'r respective weight 28. Ida-similar way when the sections 4C andi5-begin toelevate the secftion fthejgweigrhtj 24; will be transferred v fronriitssupporting"bracketzto said elevator and whemall; of l the-said sections have com -bi11e'dft0 I raise the section 2 the weight 525 r thereoffwill be caused to gravitate to said elevator, thus'each'of the said weights will I be transferred at the proper times in the balance their respective "curtain sections;

By--n1'eans of the above arrangement each of the sections at the moment 'that they? are 7 its re =speetive weight so that whenall o "the secoperation ofraising said curtain toxcounter' the weights 22, 23, 24 and 25 will counterbalance them within the elevator. Furthermore when all of the sections are lowered the said weights will be successively transferred to and supported within the standard 26. When the curtain is in its raised or opened position all of the sections and weights rest or are supported by the drums 11, but in such a way that although the supporting structure of the shaft 14: is adequate for the amount of weight which it has to sustain the rotary movement of said shaft is attained without much effort owing to the equilibrium established between the sections of the curtain and the counterbalancing weights.

During the lowering of the curtain the weights 22, 23, 24 and 25 which at the start are all resting on the elevator 12, will be moved in a reverse order to that in which they were transferred thereto, and in the following manner: As the elevator 21 moves upwardly the strikers 39 are caused to lodge within the upper recesses of their respective weights and the roller 40 carried by said elevator is operated to engage the finger of the weight toward which said elevator is approaching whereby the weight thereof will be lifted. For example in Fig. 1 the roller 40 is seen approaching the finger 32 and is about to engage said finger and upon further upward movement of the elevator said finger will likewise be raised, and as it is thus moved upwardly it slightly raises the end of the weight 23 moving the same from the depression formed in the upper edge of the supporting member 21. When the finger 32 has been inclined downwardly toward the supporting member 28 the weight will gravitate donwardly thereon until it rests in the recess formed in the upper side of the supporting member 28. Simultaneously with the gravitating movement of said. weight the arm 36 and its pivoted striker 39 will effect an equal movement of the above end of said weight toward the standard 26 where said end will be held until further use of said weight is required.

As the elevator continues its ascent it will at the proper moment cause the finger 31 of the uppermost weight to operate upon said weight and likewise the striker 39 of the arm 35 will be introduced into the recess of said weight and in the manner previously described the weight 22 will be transferred to its supporting member 27 where it likewise will remain until further use thereof is required.

It will be evident that the number and size of the sections and hence of the weights may be varied in accordance with the size of the opening it is to cover.

While I have herein shown and described merely for illustrative purposes one specific embodiment of my invention, and have disclosed and discussed in detail the construction and arrangement incidental to such disclosure, it is to be distinctly understood that the invention is limited neither to the more said sections, a counterbalance connected with said drum and movable in a direction opposite to that of said sections, and means automatically to increase and decrease the weight of said counterbalance in proportion to the increase or decrease in the weight of said sections.

2. A curtain device having a plurality of cooperating sections, means successively to raise and lower said sections, and means automatically to counterbalance said sections including a lifting cage arranged to move in a direction opposite to that of said sections, said means also including a series of weights adapted successively to be transferred to and gravitate with said lifting cage as each of said sections is lifted.

3. A metallic curtain having a plurality of cooperating sections, means to guide the ends of said sections including a plate provided with a plurality of stepped grooves, means progressively to raise said sections from and lower to their respective steps, counter-balancing means forsaid sections, and means automatically to increase and decrease the weight of said counterbalancing means in proportion as said sections are picked up or dropped.

In testimony whereof we have signed our names to this specification.

ANDRES PARODI. JOSE BORELLO;

Witnesses A. L. BnnLo, SAN ROMAI. 

